Lapbooks: Creative Engagement with Purposeful Activities

I begin each school year by reading Kate DiCamillo’s novel Because of Winn-Dixie. A short version appears in our reading series, but I wanted students to have a chance to read the entire book. Beginning a novel can be a daunting task for some students, so I developed a lapbook to help guide reading and retain what we learn.

Lapbooks: An Introduction

Lapbooks are file folders that contain folded pages, graphic organizers, or any fun additions that go with the topic. These colorful note-keepers can be used with any subject and are easily expanded. I’ve heard them described as scrapbooks with an educational purpose, and they are very popular in homeschools. A quick Pinterest search shows just how popular they have become. My mom teaches over 100 middle- school students and doesn’t have the space for large projects. Lapbooks, which capture all the creativity and organization of a project board turned into a small folder, are the answer.

Winn-Dixie Lapbook Samples

My Winn-Dixie lapbook contains all the reading activities we would normally finish piecemeal. I use a whiteboard lesson to illustrate important steps and to enable the other teachers in my grade to complete a lapbooks in their classes as well. We attack one small item each day, doing one open-ended question or the vocabulary flip book, for instance, and glue in pieces as we go.

Country Studies

For country study lapbooks, students can include maps and flip books of holidays, images, popular clothing, and the famous historical sites in each country.

Outer Space

Each planet can have a book to itself. I use the pieces of a space webquest to outfit out independent space study. Students love adding sparkle and decoration with a solar system diagram featuring star stickers and glittered planets.

Author Studies

Each student works on a separate author in their own lapbook, providing required elements such as lists of awards and books, biography, and a literary analysis. Bring it to a lower level with books from Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, or Gail Gibbons.

Science Notebooks

A lapbook can be a vehicle for recording science information about one topic or experiment. Students can include illustrations, musings,
predictions, and results along with pictures or actual items glued right in.

Animals

Students can recreate habitats as a background and include images, fur samples, or shells, and tell about predators and prey. If each child has a different animal, the final books can be assembled into a large food web display.

Getting Started

Interested in trying your own lapbook? The member forums at Lapbook Lessons give mini videos and tons of ideas to get you started. Before you introduce the project to your class, consider the elements you want in your books. Make a folder for yourself and see what can reasonably fit. How much will you do for your students? I prefold and glue folders and open-ended question sets into the lapbooks. I’ve had students do them in the past and it isn’t worth my headache! On the other hand, my mom has her older students complete books independently. I made a quick video to show how easily they can be folded. Finally, I grade my books using a rubric. However, you might use the lapbooks simply as a way to record information.

Students are truly proud of their books when they finish and they have a unique way to display their learning. Our books are always a hallway hit. We’ve even sent a few to Kate DiCamillo and she wrote us back! I can't wait to share all of our Winn-Dixie projects. In the meantime, check out Dinah Zike, a founding mother in the world of lapbooks and interactive manipulatives for learning. She has written the book, literally, on notebooking and has some great online ideas to get you started.

Please leave a comment and let me know what kinds of lapbooks you have created. Be sure to check my next post to see how all of our Winn-Dixie lapbooks and activities come together. I'll also post all of our activities so that you can print them out and adapt them for any class novel study.

I begin each school year by reading Kate DiCamillo’s novel Because of Winn-Dixie. A short version appears in our reading series, but I wanted students to have a chance to read the entire book. Beginning a novel can be a daunting task for some students, so I developed a lapbook to help guide reading and retain what we learn.

Lapbooks: An Introduction

Lapbooks are file folders that contain folded pages, graphic organizers, or any fun additions that go with the topic. These colorful note-keepers can be used with any subject and are easily expanded. I’ve heard them described as scrapbooks with an educational purpose, and they are very popular in homeschools. A quick Pinterest search shows just how popular they have become. My mom teaches over 100 middle- school students and doesn’t have the space for large projects. Lapbooks, which capture all the creativity and organization of a project board turned into a small folder, are the answer.

Winn-Dixie Lapbook Samples

My Winn-Dixie lapbook contains all the reading activities we would normally finish piecemeal. I use a whiteboard lesson to illustrate important steps and to enable the other teachers in my grade to complete a lapbooks in their classes as well. We attack one small item each day, doing one open-ended question or the vocabulary flip book, for instance, and glue in pieces as we go.

Country Studies

For country study lapbooks, students can include maps and flip books of holidays, images, popular clothing, and the famous historical sites in each country.

Outer Space

Each planet can have a book to itself. I use the pieces of a space webquest to outfit out independent space study. Students love adding sparkle and decoration with a solar system diagram featuring star stickers and glittered planets.

Author Studies

Each student works on a separate author in their own lapbook, providing required elements such as lists of awards and books, biography, and a literary analysis. Bring it to a lower level with books from Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, or Gail Gibbons.

Science Notebooks

A lapbook can be a vehicle for recording science information about one topic or experiment. Students can include illustrations, musings,
predictions, and results along with pictures or actual items glued right in.

Animals

Students can recreate habitats as a background and include images, fur samples, or shells, and tell about predators and prey. If each child has a different animal, the final books can be assembled into a large food web display.

Getting Started

Interested in trying your own lapbook? The member forums at Lapbook Lessons give mini videos and tons of ideas to get you started. Before you introduce the project to your class, consider the elements you want in your books. Make a folder for yourself and see what can reasonably fit. How much will you do for your students? I prefold and glue folders and open-ended question sets into the lapbooks. I’ve had students do them in the past and it isn’t worth my headache! On the other hand, my mom has her older students complete books independently. I made a quick video to show how easily they can be folded. Finally, I grade my books using a rubric. However, you might use the lapbooks simply as a way to record information.

Students are truly proud of their books when they finish and they have a unique way to display their learning. Our books are always a hallway hit. We’ve even sent a few to Kate DiCamillo and she wrote us back! I can't wait to share all of our Winn-Dixie projects. In the meantime, check out Dinah Zike, a founding mother in the world of lapbooks and interactive manipulatives for learning. She has written the book, literally, on notebooking and has some great online ideas to get you started.

Please leave a comment and let me know what kinds of lapbooks you have created. Be sure to check my next post to see how all of our Winn-Dixie lapbooks and activities come together. I'll also post all of our activities so that you can print them out and adapt them for any class novel study.

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